Pittsburgh Permaculture » General Thoughts

Come Join Us at the Food Forest this Saturday!

Michelle — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:23:22 +0000

We will be working at the food forest on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month from 10am-12pm. The food forest is located at 4700 Irvine St in Hazelwood. It was 4 adjacent vacant lots owned by the URA and now hosts a diversity of edible and otherwise functional tree, bush and groundcover [...]

The plastic bag, stick and a brick trick!

Troy — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:29:33 +0000

This is a quick and easy way to train fruit trees to get the branch angle you want.

Materials list:

A couple plastic grocery bags A straight stick or piece of bamboo A few small rocks A fruit tree you want to train

BEFORE

An apple tree with an upright branch [...]

10 Methods for Soil Improvement

Troy — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:03:20 +0000

The following is a list of 10 easy and effective approaches to improving your soil. We have also noted the benefits that each technique provides and included a description of why each one is important.

Adjust the soil pH to optimal levels (6-7)- general (nutrient availability) – The pH of soil dictates the ability [...]

Tree Planting with Pittsburgh Permaculture

Guest — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 23:55:08 +0000

Over the summer, I had an interesting email; Catherine from Ireland was visiting Pittsburgh and wanted to help out a bit, here is what she wrote about her experience.

-Troy

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Tree planting with Pittsburgh Permaculture

After reading an article on ecological travel and responses to peak oil, I decided [...]

Rocks in the Garden

Troy — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:54:48 +0000

I am exploring the use of large rocks strategically spread throughout the garden to aide in the thawing process in spring. In the warm months, and in the winter when the rocks aren’t covered in snow, rocks buffer the diurnal temperature swings. That is to say they make the micro-climate around them a more [...]

David Holmgren’s Insights

Troy — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:34:56 +0000

I have put together some interviews of David Holmgren, the cofounder of permaculture. I wouldn’t suggest watching them straight through, but it is worth watching/listening to them very intentionally. I have grouped the multi-segment videos together. I hope you enjoy them.

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Permaculture Design Certificate Course

Juliette — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:54:30 +0000

This is a reminder… exactly one month until the PDC, register NOW to join us at the Phipps Garden Center!

6 WEEKENDS (January to April 2011): Jan 29-30; Feb 12-13, 26-27; Mar 12-13, 26-27; Apr 2, 9:00am to 4:30pm

– Earn your internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification! – Share 6 weekends immersed in a fun, [...]

Biodiversity Rising

Troy — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 01:13:14 +0000

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As we move out of the growing season and the leaves begin to fall, it is a nice time to reflect on the development of the garden. The returns this year have been great. We have been reaping the [...]

EDIBLE LANDSCAPE-MICHELE’S GARDEN UPDATE

Michele — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:42:41 +0000

WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO??? I for one, CANNOT believe it is almost over! Yes, I harvested crops of delicious, wholesome, fresh fruits and veggies all summer long, but never really got to sit back and truly enjoy my precious gifts from nature as I usually do! I spent most of the summer with our [...]

Patterns and Design

Troy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:46:32 +0000

Patterns are that which allow us to understand our surroundings. They give objects meaning by enabling us to recognize similarities and identify difference; to discern, say, a cat from a blade of grass (The patterns I am discussing here are less about the general ability of recognition more about dominant patterns which enable me [...]